oct 7, 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis - Zach

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On October 14th, 1962, a United States U-2 spy plane photographed Soviet medium-range ballistic missile sites under construction in Cuba. President Kennedy did not want the Soviet Union and Cuba to know that they discovered the missiles. After long and difficult meetings, Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade around Cuba. The aim of this "quarantine" was to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies. No one was sure how Nikita Khrushchev would respond to the naval blockade and the US demands. However, both leaders realized the danger of a nuclear war and publicly agreed to a deal in which the Soviets would dismantle the weapon sites in exchange for a pledge from the United States not to invade Cuba. In a separate deal, which had remained secret for more than twenty five years, the United States had agreed to dismantle its nuclear artillery in Turkey. Although the Soviets removed their nuclear weapons from Cuba, they escalated the building of their military arsenal. The threat of military crisis was over, the arms race was not.

-Zach Laws

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis

https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/kennedy-library-forums/past-forums/transcripts/cuban-missile-crisis-a-historical-perspective

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